KITCHENER The Ontario government has officially announced that a province-wide COVID-19 lockdown will go into effect on Boxing Day at 12:01 a.m. CTV News learned of the lockdown over the weekend. Sources originally said that the lockdown would go into effect on Christmas Eve, but was pushed back two days by cabinet on Monday. The lockdown in southern Ontario will last until Jan. 23. This was not an easy decision before the holidays, but we have reached a tipping point, said Health Minister Christine Elliott in a statement. We continue to see sharp increases in hospitalizations and occupancy in intensive care units is reaching concerning levels. Urgent action must be taken to prevent our health care system from becoming overwhelmed.